DAZ Studio Pro BETA [Project Iradium] - version 4.8.0.4!

DAZ 3D is pleased to announce the next public version of the DAZ Studio Pro BETA - version 4.8.0.4!

What is a BETA?

Despite our best efforts, DAZ 3D cannot possibly test the software under all possible conditions. So, we are providing a version of the application to the general public in order to uncover problems that were not discovered during internal/private testing. We expect that there will still be problems and we hope that when users encounter any problems, they will report them to the Bug Tracker so that they can be validated, prioritized and fixed.

As with any software classified as being in the BETA phase of development, you should expect to encounter bugs. Any bugs you do encounter while using BETA software can vary in terms of severity, from minor features that do not work correctly to problems that cause your computer to crash. Before choosing to use BETA software for production purposes, you should decide whether the benefit of new features and bug fixes provided by the BETA version outweighs the risk of instability you may encounter.

Public Build, BETA, what is the difference?

Public Build is a release channel, while BETA is a phase of development.

DAZ Studio is distributed through four separate channels:

- Production Build - This is where the General Release build is distributed and is open to the general public.

- Public Build - This is where the builds that are not considered stable yet are provided for testing by the general public; this channel typically provides a build that is in the BETA phase of development, but technically can provide a build in the ALPHA phase.

- Private Build - This is similar to the Public Build channel, except it is limited to a select group of individuals that serve as the "front line" or the "canary in a coal mine" for a time before the build is promoted to a less restricted channel; this channel is more likely to see an ALPHA build than the Public Build channel is.

- Dev Build - This is for a much smaller group of individuals; this channel provides "bleeding edge" ALPHA builds; sometimes referred to as "nightly", although the builds are not limited to one per night nor to strictly occurring at night.

Will this Public Build replace the General Release?

While builds in the Public Build channel do eventually replace the build in the Production Build channel, the existence of a public build does not preclude builds that are currently in the Private Build channel from replacing the General Release before one in the Public Build channel does. One of the reasons we provide a Public Build channel is to gain broader coverage of the various fixes/additions. Sometimes fixes/additions in the Public Build channel are validated more quickly than others and can be integrated into the Production Build channel while the remaining, more risky, changes are allowed to "bake" a while longer.

What is new in this version? Do I need to update my copy?

The 4.8.0.4 version resolves many issues and implements many improvements since the 4.7.0.12 General Release. More detail on specific fixes/changes/improvements can be found in the Change Log, which can be viewed online within the Documentation Center portion of our site. All new downloads of the DAZ Studio Pro BETA product (SKU: 12000) will be of this version.

Has the Content Management Service (CMS) been improved?
If you are already using the PostgreSQL based service, no.

If you are still using the Valentina based service, yes it has. The existing Valentina based service is still included and supported, however a new PostgreSQL based service is proving itself to be much more stable and much less prone to the data corruption issues that many have experienced in the past. The new PostgreSQL based service has also proven to be somewhat faster.

With this new solution, there is no longer a need to start a service that runs in the background. Normally, the PostgreSQL server starts when the application starts and stops when the application stops; unless another application, like Install Manager, is connected to it - in which case it will stop when the last application connected to it closes. Explicit control to start the service is provided via an action [in the Content Library pane option menu] and a button [in the Smart Content pane] without ever needing to leave the application. Explicit control to stop the service is also provided via an action [in the Content Library pane option menu].

To help get you up and running with the new PostgreSQL service, we've added a separate package in Install Manager that will automatically migrate any existing data from your Valentina database; you simply install it after the PostgreSQL server is installed. We've also included an "Import Metadata from Valentina" script with the Built-In content. The amount of time required to migrate the data will vary depending on the amount of data you have and your system specs.

*Note:While the PostgreSQL server is installed, Install Manager will not install any data to the Valentina database.

What is the Application Improvement Program about?
It's about improving the DAZ Studio user experience. Support tickets and bug reports provide important clues as to the needs of you the customer, but they are only hints. This improvement program will allow us to to "see" how the features of DAZ Studio are actually performing and where users are getting hung up.

If you choose to participate in the program, the statistics we will collect are anonymous and contain no personally identifiable information. We respect your right to privacy. That said, if you choose not to participate, we respect that too.

We encourage you to participate. In doing so, your use of the application will have a greater influence on where we focus our efforts.

Has the Genesis Starter Essentials, the Genesis 2 Starter Essentials (Male/Female), or the Default Lights and Shaders packages been updated too?

*Note:Install Manager users are notified of product updates when they occur.

How do I get the latest version?

If you have previously added the DAZ Studio Pro BETA product to your account, launch Install Manager, log into your account and type "DAZ Studio * Public Build" into the filter field to filter out anything else. Then simply download and install as you would normally.

*Note:The current version of Install Manager has a new Public Build download filter that is disabled by default. You must enable this download filter to see packages in your Ready to Download list that are tagged PublicBuild.

Optionally, you can locate, download and install the BETA from the Product Library [once you are logged into your account] by entering "DAZ Studio Pro BETA" into the text field near the top left of the page and clicking the "Filter" button, or by clicking here. Then, simply click the "download & install" button.

If this is your first time downloading DAZ Studio Pro BETA, simply follow this link, click the "Add to Cart" button on the page and then follow the checkout process.

*Note:This BETA version is not available as a standalone installer. It must be downloaded and installed using Install Manager. This does not impact the General Release, which will be made available through Install Manager as well as a standalone installer.

Can I have the General Release and the BETA installed at the same time?

Yes! You can have both the General Release and a Public Build (as well as a Private Build, for those involved in that endeavor), of the same major version, installed at the same time. Please be aware that the settings for each of the builds are stored independent of each other. This includes mapped content directories, layout, style and style colors, among many others.

What about the plugins I have?

The DAZ Studio 4.5 SDK has not changed in any way that causes it to be binary incompatible, which means that any plugins created for a previous version of DAZ Studio (4.5.0.114+) should continue to load and function with this build. That said, as with any new release, there is always the possibility that a plugin has had bugs fixed or features added, so the latest versions should be downloaded and installed if they are provided.

Plugins that are currently built/produced by DAZ 3D will provide a separate package specifically intended for the Public Build. 3rd party plugins that DAZ 3D creates install packages for will be updated to allow simultaneous installation into the General Release and the Public/Private builds. These packages will display as "Product Updates" within Install Manager once they have been updated.

Multiple GPU's and network rendering I hope. My Octane setup is 8 x 780's and 4 x Tesla M2090's. I would love to use Studios built in engine on existing hardware. Not alot of info on this new tech seems available.

That's a tough one to answer. I have a single 780ti and it runs very fast. It's still early days, so results might vary from rig to rig. With Iray you can still use cpu rendering only, or cpu with gpu, but only with gpu cards that support cuda I think (for full benefits), since it's an Nvidia engine. Pretty sure Daz will have a guide as to what is the best configuration to have.

anyone know of minimum specs to be able to use this nvidia iray? (i'm a complete noob when it comes to tech stuff like this and don't quite understand a lot of it LOL...just wondering if we'll have to upgrade or anything to utilize it)

Multiple GPU's and network rendering I hope. My Octane setup is 8 x 780's and 4 x Tesla M2090's. I would love to use Studios built in engine on existing hardware. Not alot of info on this new tech seems available.

...Yikes! I'd need to win the Megabucks Lotto to build a system like that.

Look at the Advanced tab of Render Settings (with Iray set as the engine) - you can turn your GPU(s) and CPU on and off. It's not that impressed with my 1GB card - it managed a naked G2F, but failed with a slightly more complex scene, but I cans till run in CPU-only mode (which is of course slower).

A tip..when setting up a scene change it to texture shaded, then when ready to render, switch to Iray. Since Iray wants to render in viewport, it can be a bit slow when rotating camera etc.

That's interesting. Octane users get around it by having a less powerful GPU to drive the screen, with the mega-GPU doing the rendering grunt over the PCI lanes. This how I'm setting up my new(ish) workstation.

Can the DS implementation of Iray select particular graphics cards for rendering, as Octane can?

By render I mean display, it builds up the scene and calculates light in viewport. You still have to hit render. I don't know if you can assign particulars (eg selective cards) just for viewport. I think it uses all selected at this stage.

That's a tough one to answer. I have a single 780ti and it runs very fast. It's still early days, so results might vary from rig to rig. With Iray you can still use cpu rendering only, or cpu with gpu, but only with gpu cards that support cuda I think (for full benefits), since it's an Nvidia engine. Pretty sure Daz will have a guide as to what is the best configuration to have.

Are there any limitations depending how much VRAM the GPU card has? I know Octane Render is now able to use system RAM to offload material processing.

Multiple GPU's and network rendering I hope. My Octane setup is 8 x 780's and 4 x Tesla M2090's. I would love to use Studios built in engine on existing hardware. Not alot of info on this new tech seems available.

...Yikes! I'd need to win the Megabucks Lotto to build a system like that.

Actually I got each of the Teslas for 120$ USD - the 780's were a bit pricey. For your information the M2090 gets about 58% performance of a 780 GTX in Octane. Who knows how this will translate into Iray.

A tip..when setting up a scene change it to texture shaded, then when ready to render, switch to Iray. Since Iray wants to render in viewport, it can be a bit slow when rotating camera etc.

That's interesting. Octane users get around it by having a less powerful GPU to drive the screen, with the mega-GPU doing the rendering grunt over the PCI lanes. This how I'm setting up my new(ish) workstation.

Can the DS implementation of Iray select particular graphics cards for rendering, as Octane can?

Yeah my two workstations are i5's with the on-CPU intel graphics. That pushs to my monitor, the 780's just sit in there with nothing attached, just for Octane. Poser / Studio run fine when you have all cards pegged @ 100% render power.

I am hoping this implementation of Iray works in a similar fashion.

EDIT: I just noticed it shows me joining the forum in 2003 and as a new member... lol!